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Most people I encounter who have been recently diagnosed with osteoporosis have one of two reactions: panic and fear or denial and dismissal. My reaction was sorrow and loss. Literally, the first thought that went through my mind when, at age 28, I was told the shocking news that I had osteoporosis was: “Oh my, that means I can no longer do the Pilates short spine exercise.”

I look back now with a chuckle that my first response was related not to my health but to restrictions on my ability to perform Pilates movements. As a former ballet dancer, Pilates instructor, and someone with an understanding of the fragile bone condition that is osteoporosis, I knew the limitations I would have, how I would have to adapt in order to avoid a fracture. My reaction to all of this was similar to what I imagine a pasta lover's would be when told he has diabetes and must refrain from eating high-carb meals! My body and movement were the nourishment that sustained me. My concern was not the disease, but what it meant to my lifestyle and identity.

Blaming My Body for Not Doing Its Part

As a ballet dancer years earlier, I had been all too familiar with my body’s lack of cooperation. When I stopped dancing due to ongoing ankle injuries, I had a similar sensation of powerlessness as I blamed my body for not holding up its end of the bargain in our relationship. Granted, that relationship was a bit one-sided: I would beat it up and it would yield and return day after day like a devoted pet, until one day it stopped returning in the same puppy-loving fashion and slowly resisted my efforts to shove it forward.

This feeling returned full-force upon my osteoporosis diagnosis and left me with an uncomfortable sense of deja vu. I had successfully overcome the emotional battle from those earlier years and had learned to befriend and respect my body; yet once again I felt like my body had let me down in spite of my attempts at a peace treaty.

Time to Grieve, Time to Heal

So I allowed myself the time to grieve, curse and wallow. But I also took the time to research, investigate and inquire. And in that process I uncovered some interesting information about osteoporosis and how it related to me specifically. Unlike many people who are informed they have low bone density and greater potential for fractures, I had never broken a bone in my life. I was also a good 20 to 30 years younger than the average person considering osteoporosis or confronting terms like “bone mass.” (Fortunately this has changed in the last decade as more attention has begun to be paid to bone health.)

No Broken Bones to Warn Me

I was asymptomatic, so I had no clues that I was facing a health challenge like some people have. I merely wanted a baseline measurement of my bone mass since I knew I had risk factors that would predispose me to osteoporosis later in life. I discovered that the lack of symptoms is not uncommon in this “silent disease,” since no one actually feels their bone structure changing.

Therein lies part of the problem. Many people are unaware of having osteoporosis until they experience a fracture, and they do not understand the risk factors that can lead to low bone mass. In seeking answers to why my body was robbing minerals from my bones, I learned that I had a vitamin D deficiency, one risk factor for osteoporosis, which I was fortunate to quickly regulate and correct. Had that gone on for another two decades, I can only imagine how weakened my skeleton would have become. So I actually was lucky to learn about my under-mineralized bones when I did in order to take preventive action through diet and exercise.

Teaching Others About Their Bones

Along my path, I worked with and took seminars from physicians and physical therapists to further educate myself on osteoporosis from a scientific and clinical angle. I eventually began synthesizing and sharing the information and knowledge I’d gained -- teaching osteoporosis workshops to my colleagues in the exercise community and writing articles about bone health. I was later invited by the continuing medical education company Hatherleigh Medical Education to write an evidence-based research paper for exercise professionals on safe exercise strategies and bone-strengthening techniques for clients with osteoporosis. I joined advocacy groups like American Bone Health and partnered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Women’s Health.

As my reputation grew, I received an increasing number of referrals and inquiries asking how people could address their own diagnoses of osteoporosis, and I realized that my mission was changing. I needed to expand from working individually with clients, using Pilates and post-rehabilitation and osteoporosis safety protocols, to helping a broader public. I needed to design an exercise program that would address the concerns of those like myself who may not have the luxury or ability to seek out individual consultation for economic or geographic reasons.

So I returned to my own body for the creative process. Like a choreographer who spends hours in the studio trying out various moves to find the right combination of steps, I explored exercises and movements and created a sequenced system which applied and aggregated all I had learned throughout the years. It became a joyous collaboration with myself as I leveraged all of the research and work I’d devoted to the topic of osteoporosis with my background in Pilates, my work in sports medicine during college and my innate understanding of movement as a dancer.

It felt good. It felt right. And it felt rewarding.

Thus began Pilates for Buff Bones, a system which involves the workout now offered throughout the United States and internationally, a medically-endorsed DVD available to the public, and an instructor licensing program that has become my great pride as I see teachers giving hope and guidance to those with osteoporosis and others looking to prevent it.

My Diagnosis Was a Wake-Up Call

I look back now at that devastating day a decade ago when I was told that I had the bones of an elderly woman, and I think of how it changed my life and career. I’ve learned that we all must take ownership of our health and a diagnosis, to investigate thoroughly in order to take the best course of action. A diagnosis is often a wake-up call to make a change in our current path of health, in our relationships with loved ones and even with ourselves. It’s fascinating how a diagnosis can transform from a personal tragedy into a healing opportunity.

After all, I’m on a plane right now to Brazil to present at a conference about osteoporosis and ways to strengthen the bones and the body. I certainly didn’t see that culmination 10 years ago, and my journey is not over yet.

Rebekah Rotstein is an international exercise presenter and movement educator and the creator of the award-winning DVD and workout Pilates for Buff Bones. She runs her own studio in New York City and has appeared at resorts including Canyon Ranch and Rancho La Puerta. Read an interview on osteoporosis, and arthritis with Rebekah.

Read more stories of struggle, strength, and survival on Everyday Health’s My Health Story column.

Last Updated:6/2/2014

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